撒切尔夫人因中风逝世,卡梅伦缩短访问行程回国

 　　MADRID, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The first ever official visit of British Prime Minister David Cameron to Spain was cut short on Monday with the announcement of the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher¹.

　　Cameron received the news of the death of the former leader of his Conservative Party while he was in his meeting with Rajoy and issued a brief statement of condolence.

　　"It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Lady Thatcher. We have lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton," he commented.

　　Cameron decided² to cancel a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid and a visit to Paris to rush back to London.

　　Rajoy too expressed his sorrow at the demise³ of the former leader, saying she was an "authentic⁴ reference in 20th century history," adding she had governed Britain at a "key moment in history," while showing her solid defense⁵ of her policies.

　　The visit of the British prime minister to Madrid took place in an atmosphere of uncertainty⁶ over Britain's future in the European Union. Cameron earlier spoke⁷ to El Mundo newspaper in which he discussed issues such as a possible referendum to take his country out of the EU.

　　"I wouldn't like that: what I would like is a reform of the EU. The EU is mature enough to withstand reform and we find ourselves in a worldwide race in which we have to compete with countries such as China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia. We need a more open, more flexible and more competitive Europe and that is our aim," said Cameron.

　　"It is a mistake to say Great Britain is only interested in the single market. We are a great European power and a front line European actor, but we believe in the EU. At times we think that it has been excessive with its directives, its interventions⁸ and its interjections and that has to change," he said.

1 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

4 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网